11 months and growing like a weed!

Isabelle can walk!  She babbles momma and dada and sometimes I hear what could be dog or Hi.  She's always on the move never slowing down for a minutes rest.  I can't believe in a month she'll be 1!!  She's grown up too fast for me!

10 Months

Woops!  Looks like I didn't come back and post her 10 Month picture!  She's such a doll!  Growing up too fast!!

Are you getting the sense that this might be a monthly blog?

Wow - it's almost a month later and here I am again.  I have a computer at home but it's in our office and I never go back there.  I have a work laptop, that's actually what I'm typing on now, but I hate lugging that home each day.  I think it's time for me to invest in a home laptop of some type or maybe a tablet.  I've been looking at the Kindle Fire but I hear Amazon is about to release a new one- possibly 3 new tablets so I'd rather wait to see what those are.  It's funny I want a new phone but I hear that Apple is releasing the iPhone 5 in September so again I want to wait until that is released.  Isn't that always the way with technology?  You buy something and then in a few months they are talking about a newer version being released at a later date.  You can't keep up and keep your wallet full!
Let's see what's been going on in the last month...
Well Isabelle went to another birthday party.  Her buddy Avery turned 1 and we went to her new house to celebrate.  Isabelle was right in her element with kids all around her and even a little ball pit.  She had lots of fun for sure and I even got a few ideas for her first birthday party.
It seems like each day she is doing something new and exciting.  She's a fast crawler and sometimes I even find her just standing on her own without using something to balance.  She's still babbling dada but every once in a while I hear a momma.  There are other new sounds she's making and she loves to push her lips together and make like a raspberry sound.  The other day while making dinner I turned around to find that she had crawled on top of the open dishwasher door AND was standing on it with her little hands clasped around the top rack ready to pull it out.  I screamed and startled her.  She went from smiling to shock!  I knew she could stand but didn't know she could climb on top of things!  Needless to say dishwasher needs to be closed at all times now.  I really need to finish baby proofing the house.  She was pulling up on the cabinets yesterday and trying to open those and the drawers.  She is definitely going to be keeping me on my toes!
The end of May was also our 3 year anniversary.  It's weird- it definitely feels longer than 3 years.  This is probably due to all we've been through and the fact we've actually been together for 12 years now.
We've also been sick non-stop in our house.  Apparently Isabelle is a Germ Magnet and enjoys giving her germs to me and Jimmy.  She's been on antibiotics twice now.  The Amoxicillin appeared to start working and then she got sick again- who knows maybe it's a new virus.  Now she's on a new antibiotic and I hope this one does the trick- now I'm sick and I'm tempted to take her meds!  I will say though for a sick baby she sure is a happy baby.  I mean she HATES when we wipe her nose and she does wake up at night from her cough but as for the rest of the day she's a happy baby.  She's even starting to make this new girly squeal and she will laugh if I start laughing.  She's just too cute!
We also welcomed a new member to the family!  Bridget gave birth about 3 weeks early to Charlotte Hope.  She was 6lbs 14oz, 20 inches and cute as can be.  She is so tiny. Isabelle was so big compared to her and it was only a couple pounds and an inch and half difference but truly it does make an appearance difference!  Bridget called me in tears on Friday to come with her to the hospital- her doctor wanted to induce her b/c Charlotte appeared to not be moving as much as before.  Bridget was upset because she wasn't ready and wanted to have more leave for both her and Matt.  I tried to keep her calm and let her know we'd ask them to verify if they really needed to do this.  I told her worst case she was going to be a mom that weekend.  Matt arrived later in the evening and I went home.  That night Jimmy and I celebrated our anniversary and the next night Charlotte arrived!  It's so fun being an aunt- I see why my brothers and sisters liked it when Isabelle was born.  All the fun and no responsibility! LOL
Now we have Father's day approaching.  I promise to post another blog this weekend.  We'll see if I can keep my word!

Dang I did it again

Man- I'm super slacking on the blog posting.  I seriously have contemplated pulling out the laptop almost every night but I'm always so tired I just say "I'll do it tomorrow"
Life just gets away from you when you have a kid!!

Well let's see what's been going on...

Since the last post we've had lots of adventures
Easter weekend was full of lots of fun- Isabelle was good for about half of church.  But with all the incense burning that was pretty good.  Jimmy even came with us and said- that stuff stinks!
LOL
first time in a Catholic Church and he goes when they burn the stinky stuff!  Isabelle was super cute as usual!

Bridget also had a baby shower at my house hosted by Mom, Carolyn and me.  We made all her favorite- chocolate peanut butter cupcakes, buffalo chicken dip and had Mexican catered in with her all time favorite CHEESE DIP!  It was a pregnant momma's dream!

 She's just the prettiest Pregnant sister ever!  And here she is with a blanket Grandma made for sweet baby girl!  Grandma Doris makes the best blankies!

Sweet Baby Girl turned 8 months on April 16th- I think she is as cute as can be and then she gets even cuter!  I can't believe how fast she's growing!

 Here you can see her new bottom teeth that she started getting in Miami- now they seem to be all the way out!

Another super awesome event was Allies wedding.  She was such a beautiful bride and we had such a great time at her wedding.  I even had to be dragged home- momma had a few too many adult beverages!  We all had such a wonderful time and I am so happy for Allison.  I wish the newlyweds nothing but happiness- they deserve it!!

 It was an awesome time with all my girls but we were missing one!  Momma Nicole had her baby 5 weeks early and couldn't attend but it was a happy day for her because sweet baby Morgan was released from the hospital the same day as the wedding!  It was truly a blessed day!

When I finally got to meet Morgan it was a super sweet treat.  I must tell you I was one smitten kitten.  I even got to snap this photo and I swear she's smiling!  Now I know this might be gas but I like to think I make her make great gas!  She's soooo cute and I can't wait for all of Isabelle and Morgan adventures!

The best is how wonderful she smells- I have to admit it gave me a bit of baby fever!

 Talk to the hand Uncle Jim!

We also got to head back to the beach- this time to Amelia Island thanks to Josh and Megan for inviting us to come along and stay in the Neel Family condo.  It was Isabelle's first Road Trip this time as we took to the highway!  She was a great girl when we drove back- not so much on the road home!!

  We had a great time- but I'm honestly looking forward to the time when we can go to the beach and Isabelle won't want to eat the sand!  She was however just cute as a button the whole trip and even got two teeth on top!  Such a great vacation!

I had my very first mother's day and I can't wait for all the future celebrations- it's so wonderful to get some lovin on Mother's day- I loved my first card- Isabelle made it in daycare and I just laughed when I opened it.  I don't know how many times I've tried to get her handprints and she wiggles or scrunches them up- I knew they were her hands!

Jimmy had to work on Mother's day so I went to the Aquarium with the whole family!  3 generations of ladies

Isabelle had so much fun and we bought a pass- we can't wait to go again!

Just yesterday she turned 9months!  I can't believe how fast it's gone by- you blink and so much passes.
Our usual chair photo shoot was a little shorter than normal because she's such a wiggle worm these days- she even wanted to stand up in the chair.  I'm sure the next blog post (with my current track record) will be all about her walking!  This weekend her buddy Avery is having her 1st Bday party and we are all VERY excited!!

My sweet baby girl is growing up too fast but I am loving all the snuggles I'm now getting and I think she's close to learning "KISS"

SNUGGLES 

I mean look at this cutie pie!  Looks like she might have a gap just like mommy did! 

So many happy times- I'm so blessed!

The Month of March Update!

Woops- yet again I let the days go by without posting in the good ole blog.  I will have to say this was in large part due to the fact that as soon as I get off work I rush to pick Isabelle up from Day Care and then rush home so I can enjoy every last minute with her.  Then after I've rocked her to sleep I get to re-heat my dinner yay! After that I clean her bottles and whatever else she destroyed, pack the next day's bag of food for her, clean the dishes and whatever else I have the energy to do and I usually pass out after that.  Either falling asleep at 9 or veggin in front of the TV till I can't keep my eyes open.  I really need to teach Jimmy how to load her bag up for the next day at Day Care!

As you can imagine- I've just been too tired or too busy so let me fill you in on what's been going on!

March 5th I went back to work.  I was fine until after dropping her off, I closed the door and walked to my car.  Then the tears starting to come!  My heart really hurt- not that I feared for her safety or if she was happy- oh no this was purely selfish on my part- I just REALLY MISSED HER!

Being at work isn't too bad.  It's much easier than taking care of a baby but I still miss her terribly.  I have peppered the walls of my cubes with pictures of her.  I'll be pulling out my hair because one of my customers is a complete idiot and then I look up and see her smiling face.  It brings me sanity!

Isabelle started off in an in-home day care.  I REALLY loved the woman and the other kids in the home all loved Isabelle.  Isabelle LOVES little kids.  Especially the 1-4yr old range.  She's fascinated by them and what they can do.  So dropping her off every day and knowing she was having lots of fun was huge.  HOWEVER- this lil missy would NOT take her bottle.  Every day the woman tried and only every once in a while was she able to get her to drink.  Isabelle would eat baby food but no milk and no juice or water.  So that stressed me out a lot.  Being at work all day knowing she wasn't getting enough fluids really freaked me out.  I would rush home to nurse her as much as I could before she went to bed.  She had no problem nursing she just didn't want those bottles!!

Soon after going to daycare we were told that she was going to have to shut down.  Yet another freak out moment for me.  I don't know the details of why she had to shut down but it was something medical.  So on one hand I felt for the woman and on the other hand I was freaking out about where to put Isabelle.  I mean it took me months to find this lady and now I had a little over a week to find a new place.

We finally settled on a more corporate daycare/school facility that I NEVER would have looked at except for the fact that one of Jimmy's friends brought his son there.  So we went to check it out and really liked the place.  Very clean, very close to home and yet still worked with our commute to work and the teachers/administration were all wonderful.  The women that watch Isabelle are super sweet and I know Isabelle already loves them.  Isabelle is happy as can be playing all day with babies her own age.  Watching the babies that are a few months older than her learn to crawl and walk really catches her eye.  I can see the wheels turning in her head as she watches them.  It's like I can see her trying to figure it out so she can do it herself!

The teachers at the new daycare have also had some luck with feeding her.  Isabelle is still calling the shots but she will take down more fluids and each day it seems to get better and better.  At first it was no bottle, then some bottle, then out of a straw, then out of a sippy cup, then straight from the rim of the cup, then back to the bottle and so forth and so on.  She really likes keeping everyone on their toes!!

My favorite part of the day is picking her up.  I peak in the little window and wait for her to see me.  She'll kind of turn her head toward me, stop whatever she is doing and get the BIGGEST smile on her face.  Melts my heart!
So daycare is going great.  I of course would rather be a stay at home mom but until I win that Lottery this will just have to do.

Lately Isabelle is getting better and better at crawling.  She's still in army crawl mode but every once in a while she'll push her belly off the floor and get on her hands and knees.  When we are sitting in the bed if I put my arm out for her to pull up on, she'll pull herself up into a standing position.  She LOVES to stand.
Recently she even started making more distinguishable sounds.  Unfortunately it's not what I wanted to hear!  I mean I carried her for over 9 months, over 27 hours in labor, spent over 6 months at home with her- day in and day out and what does she utter?!?!?  DA DA
I mean come on!
;)
But it is pretty cute to hear and yesterday she added BA BA.  So she'll say DA DA DA DA DA BA BA BA BA
I know MA MA is in there somewhere- I'll just have to keep working at it!

So that's what has been going on with Isabelle and me on a MON-FRI weekly basis

On March 16th Isabelle had her 7 month milestone
She's too cute - right?

On the weekends I try to do as much fun stuff with her as I can.  I get so excited when I think of all the things I want to do with her.  The aquarium, going to the park, the library for some story time, cabbage patch land, build a bear workshop and so much more.  Having a kid is great but even better for me since I'm just a kid in a grown up body.

After she turned 7 months we had a photo shoot at the park.  I HIGHLY recommend you check out this website www.amykatphotography.com
Amy takes GREAT pictures, she's patient and very sweet.  Here's a cute shot she took of Isabelle in a bunny costume.  It's funny- that's a real bunny and in another shot she stole his carrot!

My mom also snapped a couple of mama Mel and Iz.  It was March 17th and I was sweating!  I couldn't believe how warm it was!  the big stuffed duck was a present from Daddy.  He came home from Kroger very excited to show her the new giant DUCK!

March was such a warm month.  It was perfect for outdoor activities.  We went to the zoo and she loved it.  I think she loved looking at all the kids more than the animals but she still loved it nonetheless.  Here's a picture of her and Jimmy at the monkey exhibit

She was awake and happy the entire time and literally the moment we left to leave her head started to get heavy and she passed out in the carrier I was wearing.  The Zoo knocked her out!  Look no hands!!

We also had a fun baby shower for baby to be Morgan Elise and her mama Nicole!  There were lots of little girls at the shower and Isabelle just loved every minute of it.  Nicole also got a great haul of gifts for her sweetie pie!  I hosted the shower at my house but so many friends helped me throw it for Nicole.  It was so nice to have so many people help me.  I've done a LOT of showers before and this might be the first one that I actually let go and REALLY let people help me.  It was such a relief to know I could go and feed Isabelle before the shower started and all my friends that helped throw the shower were out there taking care of everything.  Here's a cute picture Michelle took

This weekend is Easter- I PROMISE I'll update the blog agian next week so you can see the cutie pie and her first Easter.  Next year will be so much more fun.  She'll be walking and able to look for the eggs and she'll have two new cousins!  My sister Bridget is due to have a Girl at the beginning of this summer and my sister-in-law Megan is due to have a Girl at the end of this summer.  Little Girls Everywhere!!

However I hate to say it- all these girls have a lot to live up to- this lil munchkin is the CUTEST in the world!  Of course I'm a little biased ;)

We can't wait to take Isabelle to her first baseball game- We've already got her geared up and ready to go!

HAPPY EASTER ALL!

Miami Trip for Rory's Wedding!

We just returned from Miami and it was so much fun!

Isabelle did quite well for her first plane ride.  Thanks to wonderful advice from other mama's I fed her on the the take off and decent.  She fussed a little and had a few outbursts but she didn't cry the whole flight.  You could see she was a bit uncomfortable and I saw her tugging at her ears.  Plus she just LOVES to wiggle around these days.  I can totally tell she's ready to be crawling and walking and then RUNNING!  But we had lots of toys to keep her occupied.
Jimmy was freaking out and kept saying "this is so embarrassing" but really compared to what I've witnessed on other flights she was a good girl!
She dropped a load while we were in the air and Jimmy said "Ugh - get that out of here!"  LOL- like she can help it!  So I changed her in the lavatory without a changing table and with some turbulence.  I was pretty proud of myself.
Trying to get her to stay happy I gave her a biscoff biscuit.  I'm not sure if she's supposed to have something like that yet but it made her happy and a mess!  But as I told Jimmy "I'd rather have a messy baby than a screaming baby"

YUMMMMMMMMMMMM BISCUITS!!

On the first day we arrived we went down to the pool- Isabelle had her first pool experience!

It didn't last long as it was a bit windy and I think the pool was a little too cold for her but she seemed to like it for a little while!
Then while playing around with her I found something that I had been anticipating but never guessed it would arrive on this trip- her first tooth.  I had my finger in her mouth and felt something sharp on the bottom.  Such a cute lil tooth popping through!
Later in the night I was off to go to a shower for Drew and Isabelle and mama got all dressed up! While I was away she got to hang with so many cousins/Aunts/Uncles!

Friday morning I found something that might also explain the fussiness- her second tooth!  There it was popping up on her bottom jaw!  It was so exciting to see!  She got two front bottom teeth on this trip and chewed on her finger for most of the trip!  I tried to help her out by pushing on the teeth to help them break through.
Later we tried the pool again but it didn't last long! There was some napping in her tent but soon it became apparent it was all too much for her so we headed to the room for some relaxation.
Friday night we got ready for the rehearsal dinner- it was at the Chart House on the water- very nice!  Isabelle made friends with an 18 month old at another dinner party- it was so cute to hear her squeal with delight at the little girl!

Saturday was a rush to get ready for the wedding.  I sadly held up the first bus as I was running late.  Isabelle drooled all over my dress before we even got there but I guess that just comes with motherhood!  It was GORGEOUS but REALLY windy.  Any attempt at my hair too look nice was futile.  So I had messed up hair and a wrinkled drooled on dress- but I tried!
The wedding itself was held close to the water and then we walked back up towards the main house for the dinner reception.  It was such a fun night- we danced and partied the night away!

How cute are these two!?

My own LIL family!

I thought this was cool.  As we walked down to the wedding a flock of birds took off!

This was where the reception took place- everything was so lovely!

The Bride heading to the alter!

Cute fan/program- notice the influence from the Princess Bride

It really makes me mad that my computer is flipping these pictures and the blog won't let me correct it!  But this is the cutest lil nugget so I had to share!

It was such a wonderful wedding and I am so happy for the bride and groom!!

On Sunday we pretty much just slept.  7am came earlier than normal since I was having a WONDERFUL time at the wedding and enjoyed several adult beverages.  I was in bed by midnight but the damage was done and I soon remembered why I don't drink that much.  Isabelle is not hungover in the morning and she requires a mom that's at 100%!  So we napped and just hung out around the hotel followed by a chill dinner with Bridget, Matt, Carolyn and Nick.  Rory and Drew were taking more pictures and flew over Miami and then hung out with her family.

Monday was a great day!  Mom kept saying it over and over again.  "I just love today!  This day is so great!" ;)

We went to the beach, so all of her little pumpkin heads were with her including her 2 newest punkin heads- Drew and Isabelle.  Isabelle got to experience the beach and ocean for the first time.  She seemed to enjoy the sights, sounds and feel of the sand and water.  She even took a little nap in her tent.

After the beach we headed back to the hotel and then had dinner together.  It was nice to have everyone together- might be awhile before that happens again!  Even Isabelle made it for a bit before passing out in her carrier!

Now we're back home.  Wishing we were still in Miami.  I have a few more days before I return to work and the thought of it is killing me.  I dropped some diapers and a couple weeks payment off at her day care today and it became very real for me!  

I'm kissing her about every other minute and trying not to think about how sad I'm going to be.  My anxiety has crept into my subconsciousness and I'm already having weird dreams about it.  I always know when I'm stressed about something if I start dreaming about it.  

I can't even imagine how tired I'm going to be since I won't get to nap with her!  I know that sitting in the office all day will be MUCH easier than being at home with her but I'd rather have her crying in my ear than sitting at my desk!  Sure I can rarely get anything done when I'm home with her and yes some days I countdown for her naptime and there are times when I think my head is going to explode and I can't wait for Jimmy to come home to help me out but again- I'd much rather be there with her than away from her!  

Stay at home mom's have probably the hardest job there is and I give them mad props for it.  If I could stay at home and still make the money I make now I totally would.  If only Moms got paid for the work they do!    I guess we do with kisses, smiles and I love you's!

So now I'm just trying to enjoy every minute and not think about her being in daycare.  I really hope that at least daycare helps with her not taking the bottle.  Our pediatrician has told me that he's never heard of a baby starving to death from not taking a bottle and eventually she will get it.  I just hate to think about what next week is going to be like for both of us.  Me being sad and her being pissed off that mom isn't around to feed her!  Pray for us!

I mean how stinkin cute is she?!?!?!